CRAZY,DANGEROUS CHRISTIANS

I am tired of being embarrassed every time I introduce myself as a pastor. We so easily put people into boxes as a short-handed way of figuring out who they are. it used to be called stereo-typing and now it goes by the name profiling. I’m tired of being boxed, stereo-typed, profiled, whatever you may choose to call it for convenience sake — especially when such practices are many times incorrect, hurtful, harmful and sometimes dangerous!

I’m also embarrassed that this looney in Florida is not just a pastor but a pastor named Terry! His flock needs to take this shepherd to task about his inflammatory behavior and statements regarding the burning of Korans on 9/11. Obviously, no one he loves is in the military in Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iran. When cautioned that his words might endanger the lives of countless men and women serving in the military he dismissed that possibility as a necessity in standing up against a minority of extremists who practice a faith not his own. His actual words were far more hateful and ungly than my paraphrase.

Is Terry Jones not an extremist in practicing his faith as well?

I write this posting as an effort to shed myself of the shame I am feeling in being another “Terry”,another “pastor” and another “Christian”. Not all Terrys, all pastor, all Christians are like this one. I distance myself from his vicious and venomous proclamation of a gospel I do not recognize nor understand.

I do so as a symbolic act in solidarity with the vast majority of Muslims throught the world who wish only to practice their religion in peaceful ways and with all swho seek to worship a loving God by whatever name they choose to address that one God.